A boring field goal fest in Arizona had a spectacular finish, as a Larry Fitzgerald leaping touchdown pass gave the Cardinals a thrilling overtime victory.
The Cardinals’ 18-15 victory came with less than a minute remaining in the 10-minute overtime session, and came after Cardinals receiver John Brown had previously appeared to score a spectacular game-winning touchdown of his own. But the official on the field ruled Brown out of bounds, and the league office ruled that there was no conclusive replay angle that could overturn that ruling. FOX did not have a camera close enough to the sideline to give a definitive look, but it sure seemed like Brown caught the ball.
But no matter: Fitzgerald’s touchdown sealed it for Arizona, which improves to 2-2 while San Francisco falls to 0-4.
Until that great touchdown, it hadn’t been much of a game: Each team kicked four field goals to make it 12-12 at the end of regulation, and the 49ers kicked their fifth field goal of the game to take a 15-12 lead in overtime. Only at the end did it get exciting — but that ending was great.
Tyrann Mathieu had a big game for the Cardinals, with 12 solo tackles, two of which were behind the line of scrimmage, and a sack. The Cardinals did a solid job of holding the 49ers’ offense in check.
The 49ers are, unsurprisingly, a last place team. They knew they had a rebuilding effort ahead of them, and today’s loss was another reminder of that. The Cardinals, however, are hoping they can put together one more winning season with Fitzgerald and Carson Palmer. They got a big win today.